Corn Chowder

One (admittedly minor) thing I was worried about when leaving Indiana was the availability of fresh corn. I had grown used to getting corn from numerous cart vendors throughout town and it always being delicious. It’s what Indiana did well. Here in New Jersey, it seems they have taken the concept of a farmers market and turned it up a few notches. I can find lots of fun foods like fruits, vegetables, fresh breads, pastries, pickles, and so much more. It’s expanded my cooking options quite a bit.

As fall sets in, corn is becoming scarcer as its season ends. Unless you were smart enough to blanch your corn and put it in baggies for freezing (I was not). One of the last times I got some, I made this “lighter” corn chowder with bacon and potatoes. It’s quite a good recipe and uses blending part of the soup as the thickener for the remainder. I have a recipe for pot roast that does the same thing with the gravy, but that’s another post.

To get a bit more char flavor in your soup (it’s quite good), I recommend cooking one or two of the ears over a hot grill and then letting them cool before you proceed.

Corn Chowder
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

8 ears corn, husked and silk removed (2-3 grilled)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
5 cups water
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper

Using a sharp knife, cut kernels from corn and place in a bowl (~5-6 cups).  Holding the cobs over a second bowl, use the back of a butter knife or a spoon to firmly scrape the remaining pulp from the cobs (~2 cups). Transfer the pulp and any associated liquid to a kitchen towel set in a medium bowl.  Wrap the towel tightly around the pulp and squeeze until dry.  Once dry, discard pulp and save the resulting corn juice (~2/3 cup).

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat; add onion, bacon, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt and some pepper, cook while stirring often until onion is softened and almost brown, about 10 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Add water and stir, bring to a boil.  Add corn kernels and potatoes, bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook until potatoes are soft, ~15 minutes.

Ladle 2 cups chowder to blender and process until smooth (be careful of splashing).  Return puree to the pot, add half and half and return to a simmer.  Turn off heat and stir in corn juice, sugar, and dried basil.  Season with salt, pepper, and any more sugar for sweetness.  Enjoy.

Three Bean Soup

Over the holidays I was fortunate enough to have some delicious food, and a lot of it not prepared by me (win win). For Christmas eve we had smoked turkey from D&R market. It was delicious, and thanks to my tendency to get sick during the holidays, I got to take the bones home as a consolation prize.

It’s tradition for me to make stock from some leftover Christmas animal, and turkey is no different. Stock making is something that is simple, easy, and yields healthier stocks you can freeze and use whenever you want. To make this stock, I browned the bones, added 1 quartered onion, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks, 4 cloves of smashed garlic, 2 bay leaves, parsley stems, 2 sprigs of thyme, a bit of salt (not much, it’s already smoked and therefore has some salt), and enough water to cover (10-12 cups). Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 hours. Drain, let sit to skim off fat, and use for soups, stews, etc.

While searching for a quick, warm dinner, I came across this recipe from The Other Side of Fifty, another Indiana food blog. I love the idea of using the refried beans as a thickener! It turned out great, though I did add a cornstarch slurry at the end to get a bit more body out of the soup.

Three-Bean Smoked Turkey Soup
Adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T chile powder
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely diced
1 T tomato paste
6 cups smoked turkey broth or other poultry broth
1 15-oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-oz. can non-fat refried beans
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 5 tablespoons broth or water
salt and pepper (if using smoked turkey broth, you may not need salt)
Sour cream


Add olive oil in a large pot heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, and tomato paste, cook for another minute. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Add half of the cornstarch slurry and check consistency to your liking. Add the other half if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with sour cream.

At the Market: Kale

Spring has finally come to Indiana, and not without event.  May means farmer's market!  Finally, I feel like I have to wait longer each year.  The fare is still pretty light due to our lingering cold in the area, mostly green garlic, asparagus, and greens. 

My favorite right now is certainly kale.  Honestly, for years the only green leafy veggie I ate was lettuce.  But I'm branching out now, and kale is certainly in abundance at the moment.

Look, I'm not going to prattle on about various points to kale, all I can tell you is this soup is OUTSTANDING and really easy to make.  So use the pictures, go to the market and get some tasty kale, and make dinner!  

Hmm, that cured my writer's block.

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup

1 pound kielbasa, diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch kale (about 1 pound), stems removed, chopped

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 16-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Rind from a hunk of Parmesan (optional)

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add kielbasa and cook until brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Drain off excess fat so only ~2-3 tablespoons remains.  Add onion and cook until softened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and bay leaves and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Add potatoes, cover pot, and cook for 2 minutes to wilt.  Add kale and cover pot, cook for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, beans, chicken stock, Parmesan rind (if you have it) and some salt and pepper.  Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, serve with crusty bread.

Just Kale Me Know

I seem to be on a soup kick lately.  Perhaps it’s the winter, or the snow, or the fact that I just don’t usually make a lot of soup.  Consider it a New Years resolution.  Also, I seemingly have a knack for leftovers.  Little by little I'm starting to break outside the confines of direct recipes and instead pull inspiration from places and make my own dish.  This soup started with a trip to Cape Cod over the holidays, where I had a delicious kale soup at Land Ho!, a great local seafood restaurant. 

Bold and determined to use my leftover turkey from Christmas dinner that was not turkey noodle soup, I settled on making a kale and turkey soup.  It's really yummy and warm.  This recipe is slightly different than the one I actually made because of ingredient choices, but it's going in the folder of regulars at my house.

If you really want to stretch your leftovers and dollar, I recommend making your own turkey stock for this soup with the leftover bones.

Kale and Turkey Soup

½ pound spicy Italian sausage or kielbasa, chopped

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves
1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup white wine

1 large bunch kale, chopped and bottom stems trimmed

1 pound cooked turkey, shredded

10 cups chicken or turkey stock

1-15oz. can red kidney beans
1 pound bowtie pasta, cooked and drained

Salt and pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, brown sausage about 3-5 minutes.  Remove sausage with slotted spoon and set on plate.  Add onion to remaining drippings in man, scraping up the bottom and cooking onions about 2 minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and cook until just beginning to soften, about 3 more minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, followed by the bay leaves, red pepper flake, rosemary, tomato paste, some salt, and thyme.  Add wine to pan to deglaze.  Add in the turkey (and a leftover bone if you have it), stock, sausage, beans, pasta, and kale.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper (and more red pepper flake if you want more heat).  Serve and enjoy.

Thai One On

There is a conundrum in my house.  My wife does not like squash unless it's covered with butter and brown sugar.  I like squash, so you see the conflict!  When presented with this dilemma, I try to use the disputed ingredient in a dish that  lessens the direct flavor to ease her into it.  I did this with kale, lentils, and a few others.  With squash, I came across a recipe in the newspaper using Thai curry as the flavoring and the squash as more of a vehicle.

Intrigued, I tried convincing her this would taste nothing like squash.  Perhaps I embezzled the truth a bit here, but I was pretty sure it would be delicious and she would look past her stubborn nature.

The recipe for this soup seemed a little off balance, so I adapted it to what I believed would be balanced flavors (I was right).  And I even served it for Christmas dinner.  Yes, traditional Christmas dinner kind of goes out the window when I'm in charge, I like to make interesting food.  And good news, she loved it!  So much that I got the green light to make it anytime I wanted.  So if you're looking for a way to get your kid/spouse/friend to eat squash (a very healthy and inexpensive vegetable), give this soup a try.

Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 cup slivered fresh ginger
1 1/2  tablespoons Thai red curry paste (you can find this at the Asian grocery in a tin or a tube)
2 pounds butternut, acorn, or similar squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cups water
1 can (13½ ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sliced ginger and cook stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the squash and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until soft, 25 minutes. Add the coconut milk and lime zest, cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes longer.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender; put it in a clean pot. Or use an immersion stick blender. Stir in the sugar and lime juice and season with salt.

Reheat the soup (you can make it up to three days in advance); ladle it into bowls. Garnish with green onions and serve.